Virgin Finally Scraps Long-Deferred Airbus Superjumbo Order
- Cancellation revealed on same day as A380 production cut
- U.K. carrier has built fleet around smaller wide-body aircraft
An Airbus SAS A380 aircraft.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg
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Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. canceled its order for six Airbus SE A380 superjumbos, finally acknowledging that the world’s largest passenger aircraft has no place in its fleet after years of deferring a decision on the double-decker.
The deletion appeared in Airbus’s February order-and-delivery tally published Wednesday, and was confirmed by the airline. Virgin originally ordered the planes more than a decade ago, but proceeded to give only tepid support to the A380 as it went on to build a fleet around smaller wide-body jets.